By now, many of you have probably already seen the disturbing video of a high school girl in South Carolina being flipped over and dragged out of her desk by a police officer for refusing to comply with his orders. In case you haven’t seen it yet, the following video captures the scene from two different angles:

After seeing a video like this one, people’s reactions are usually split into two groups:

This is completely and utterly unacceptable.

We don’t know the whole story.

Full disclosure: I happen to belong to group #1.

Turns out he was fired today… But you know what? If this hadn’t been recorded on video, he would probably still be working around kids.

Now, within the racially-charged time that we find ourselves in, it is hard to ignore the fact that the young girl in the video is black and the officer is white. And when it is pointed out that videos like this one–with a white officer being overly brutal with black citizens–are popping up with a disturbing regularity, many people (mostly white folks) are quick to bring up the “One Bad Apple” defense. There are quite a few things that white people do when you point out racism. I wrote about 13 of them HERE. But it’s true… I don’t really know that racism was a factor at all. It’s possible that this officer (his name is Ben Fields) reacts with the brand of anger and violence that is displayed in this video whenever ANY kid–regardless of the color of their skin–refuses to show him the respect he believes he is due. It turns out that Officer Fields has been dating an African American woman for quite some time… Maybe race had nothing to do with it. I don’t know.

But it looks to me as though a large portion of the public–especially the people viewing these videos who happen to have white skin–seems to be more inclined to join group #2 when the person experiencing what appears to be police brutality fits their description of someone who looks like a “trouble maker.” These are the same people who looked at this video…

… and wanted to withhold judgment because “we don’t know the whole story.”

Well, these people are right. We don’t know the “whole story.” We rarely do. Because the WHOLE story is a lot more comprehensive than the story of what that young girl said or did or refused to do immediately before the video started those kids’ cell phones started rolling. I don’t know this girl, and I certainly don’t know her “whole story.”

Maybe her whole story involves her listening as a parent told one of her brothers the rules for how to interact with police officers and stay alive–rules that I never felt the need to inform my white children of….

Maybe her whole story involves her watching the video above of the young black girl at the pool party getting manhandled and brutalized by a white officer for the crime of not moving as quickly as he thought she should…

Maybe her whole story involved watching them raise that confederate flag right back up the flagpole in Charleston, South Carolina after Bree Newsome climbed up there and took it down…

Or maybe her whole story involves her watching videos of a number of other black men in South Carolina who had their lives ended by white men wearing a badge just like the one Officer Fields (known to the kids of that school as Officer “Slam” for the way he once handled a pregnant woman, as well as other students) was wearing that day. Videos like like this one showing Walter Scott being shot eight times and murdered as he ran away from a South Carolina officer…

Or, it’s even possible that her “whole story” involved her expecting that her own arrest to be less violent than it turned out to be… You know, more peaceful–like the arrest of the person who had just murdered nine black folks as they worshipped in their Church…

The girl in the classroom has her arm in a cast, pain in her neck and back, and rug burns on her body. This guy? No visible rug burns…

So yeah, we definitely don’t know the “whole story.”

Because when we know a person’s whole story, we start to understand where they’re coming from. We empathize with them. We start to see the places where their story is like our story. It makes gross things like stereotyping and prejudice a lot more difficult. When you know a person’s whole story, it’s much more difficult to not love them. And when that happens, we start to suspect that EVERYONE has more to their story than we can easily see at first glance.

And you know what? That goes for Officer Ben Fields as well. I’m not saying that there is any excuse for the way he threw that young girl around–There isn’t. And actions like these should have consequences–especially for the one in a position of power. It’s clear that this guy shouldn’t be in a position of authority, he shouldn’t be carrying a gun, and he definitely shouldn’t be working around kids… But we don’t know his whole story either. We don’t know what kind of lies he has believed… what kind of abuses he has endured. We don’t need to demonize this man. But when we see a video like this, the only right response is to say, “This is not OK.” If we are ever looking for the “whole story,” it should never be in an attempt to excuse this sort of violence… Knowing a person’s whole story is how we keep this sort of thing from happening again.

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***Update***I just found out that the girl in the classroom is LIVING IN FOSTER CARE (not orphaned as was earlier reported). So yes, the WHOLE STORY is so very important. God bless.

I don’t quite think she got what she deserved. Rather you like it or not children are still learning. What the officers failed to realize is that these are not his children to teach them discipline. A lot of things would be avoided if things are stated in a different manner. Aggression is not one of those ways.

She is not an orphan. Her lawyer clarified this morn. Her mother & grandmother are still very much alive, the relationship she has with her father is unknown and yes she is in foster care. There are close to 400k kids in the U.S. in foster care. I completely agree the officer used excessive force, however, they have probably become apathetic toward kids in the schools, as well as the teachers, who are leaving teaching in droves based on bad behavior.

It was widely reported yesterday that the girl was recently orphaned, but that was retracted today. Either way, losing your family and being put in foster care is hard on a kid… No? You tackle a kid who is going to hurt himself/herself or somebody else. You don’t do that to a kid who is refusing to move. Ever.

I’m typically in total agreement with you, but not here. I don’t care what age, race, sex. Religious persuasion, etc a student is. If you are asked by 3 adults to get up and leave the classroom, you do it and this kind of thing won’t happen. Why is no one asking the appropriate question? Why is no one interested in what made this girl behave in such a desruptive way that the police had to be called? Are we now down to giving out medals of bravery for being defiant and disruptive? If this incident had started and ended with the officer then yes, it was way out of hand. You are taking into consideration that three adults (her teacher, her principal, and the police officer asked her to walk out of the room, she refused. You also aren’t considering the 29 other children sitting there obediently who came to school for an education, not Jerry Springer. Lastly, you are failing to ask why a child would show unbelievable disrespect for adults, her fellow classmates, and herself. So we just gloss over the fact that this entire situation was precipitated by her behavior. Yes, he was too rough. I would be curious to know, however, what specific things you would’ve done differently given that her behavior was escalating and there were other children present. A teacher has to have absolute control in the classroom. If something is preventing that, it must be removed for the good of everyone involved. If it won’t remove itself when asked by the teacher and the school administrator, what then should have been done. Lots of people throwing around outrage and no one offering solutions. Unless your idea of a solution is to allow chaos in the classroom, willful disrespect and belligerence without consequence, and making ensuring that adults in positions of authority be stripped of that authority and just trust children to learn boundaries on their own. Since this child was so defiant, not just to the police officer, but everyone involved in going to make the leap that she doesn’t respect her parents much either and who’s fault is that, really? So when people say she had it coming, what they’re saying is she has clearly been failed by her family so she has to learn decent social behavior unless we just want to wait until she’s in prison to do so. With that level of defiance at 15, that’s where she’s heading. Why is that acceptable?

Teaching is a two-way street. Respect can’t be forced, it should be earned. A teacher that isn’t able to adress typical stubborn teenager attitude, even let it escalate to this type of enforcing is a sad example of American pedagogical qualities. I am Dutch and our teachers, pupils, police aren’t perfect either. However this escalating behaviour of adults towards a teen is unheard of.

I remember school, I remember which teachers I respected because they weren’t crazy, they bravely took what we threw at them(not literally) but got to know us on a level where we had respect for them. You knew who the best teachers were, the ones who made an effort and everyone liked.

So because you feel that way about “children” they should be drag and choke? Would you like your children and grandchildren to go through this? Kids are going to disobey, that’s why they are kids or shall I say minors. There are ways to handle disobedience. If every parent react like this officer we wouldn’t have a country to live in because everyone would grow up with abuse issues and solving all their problems and displeasure with violence. This is traumatic and I’m in awe that a teacher of 30 years can’t understand that. If you can control minors then perhaps teaching or being around kids isn’t for you bc it takes dedication and patience. I don’t have it, hence why I’m not a teacher. That way I don’t have to hurt or abuse or do kids a disservice. You don’t know these minors stories and it has a lot to do with their behavior.

Her Mother isn’t dead. She is in foster care.
But her Mother did not pass away. It’s a moot point. How does her personal life dictate A) amount of acceptable poor behaviour by the student
And B) how much or less force or brutality should be used.
The point is that our whole story often change the hearts of those around. Those adults willing enough to listen. As the community, we, as a collective of adults are what failed. This girl and the officer.
It’s time we start to listen with ears and hearts.

Her personal life dictates it a lot. Have you ever lost a love one, had to deal with someone who was sick, went through financial hard times. How did that affect your mood, your day in and out. You are an adult, she’s a child. Obviously she was going through something because it ended her in foster care. She was rip from the only family she knows, we don’t know how severe the problem is, and she has to be taught how to handle those issues. Minors handle it through their emotions. She wasn’t right but she didn’t deserve that abuse. But I’m sure you would be the mom telling a black parent not to whip her child at the grocery store but will say this behavior is ok.

Well said. The use of force by the officer was inexcusable, but doesn’t she hold some culpability in this too??
And yes, her life has been hard, but do we give everyone a pass to not follow rules and not submit to authority to anyone who doesn’t feel like it if their life has been hard?? Haven’t we gotten to where we are in this country because everyone is able to rationalize their bad behavior and no one is held accountable? “I’ve had a bad day, so I’m going to just do what I want!” Doesn’t seem like anyone would sign up to be around this kind of person. In fact, I know most parents provide discipline for this kind of display of defiance, because they want their children to be productive, capable citizens.
Having worked with a lot of teens in foster care, they are beyond angry (with good reason), but they understand at a gut level that they are where they are because their parents chose to circumvent the rules and defy authority. They know. They understand. They see the truth. And they honestly want to turn out differently than their parents have. They just need help to find a new pathway.
Our goal in society shouldn’t be to look at the color of ANYONE’S skin (white or black or purple polka dotted) and assume feelings or thoughts not in evidence. We should not judge this officer as a white man being racist against a black girl. We should not see this girl as some poor orphan allowed to be defiant because “life has been hard.” We, adults and children alike, should all be held accountable for our actions and be able to control our emotions, for the good of society. Or at least be on the path to learning that skill.

She was not threatening. She was not physically violent. She was in a classroom.

There are dozens of things that COULD have been done that did not require physical violence.

The thing here, though is, not that there are dozens of things. It is that we are missing the face that we are approving ***VIOLENCE*** by authorities against kids who are in a classroom and who are not otherwise threatening or causing physical harm.

The very last thing on our pallet of “Things we can do to resolve classroom disputes” should be “∞. Violence”

Kids can be tough to deal with. They can be smart-alecs. They can be disputative. They can refuse to follow directions.

That’s why they are kids, and that’s why we adult are charged with helping them turn into adult through a process of leadership and encouragement and even discipline.

wow, you sound sociopathic you have so little empathy or tools for communication that you’d condemn the kid and call her an “it”. You wrote: “If it won’t remove itself when asked by the teacher and the school administrator, what then should have been done.”
so just make sure Sarah you steer clear of working with children and specifically at risk youth.

I believe when she said “it”, was when she was speaking of a situation arising with any person. If you read the sentence before the one you are quoting she is speaking as if it were to be a different situation than the one she’s in. I could see how it could be twisted though.

Disciplining doesn’t involve the lack of pedagogical skills by teacher, principal and police man. What did this girl learned from this disgusting behaviour by adults? You also make her an it, dehumanising her. How respectfully is that?

That day she learned that she couldn’t trust anyone to keep her safe. ‘safety’ was an illusion and a lie. No wonder kids don’t want to go to school. They have to deal with bullying and on top of that now this. Police brutality.

hat was decent social behavior?! Wow! The option should have been to let a defiant, QUIET child sit quietly until you are done educating the other students then handle the defiance, not disruption, after class. The administrator nor officer should have been called unless she was disrupting the class. No education took place in that class that day due to the decision of the adults. HECK YEAH SHE SHOULD HAVE OBEYED THE TEACHER FROM THE BEGINNING!! But when she didn’t, he should have said see me after class and kept the education process moving. I really wish people would stop putting the weight of what’s wrong with schools on this one child to justify her being handled like that. From all of the accounts that I read, heard and sawA, she was quiet so why “poke the bear” when educating the class should have been top priority. Any discipline could have been handled more appropriately one on one or if necessary, by involving others.

I think if her behavior is that bad and wrong she needs to be expelled not assaulted. You ask for a solution you got one. I do not believe in children being defiant and if she was that difficult where you can’t figure it out expel the girl. I think people who do not have children say it was called for and crap like that. I am a mother and my husband who served this country “Marine” said he would probably go to jail if it was our daughter. Seriously ban my child from your school before you cross the line! Violence only opens up violence I can imagine all the death threats the officer and his family are receiving over this incident. We live in a crazy world and people go extreme over this kind of stuff why put your family in an uncomfortable position like that? Maybe the ape theory is right! I seen a similar clip between a male ape and a female one.

I totally agree with you. What else do they have expulsion if not to deal with situations like This. They’re honestly treating her as if she used her phone to bludgeon someone to death. The first thing they should have done is confiscate her phone. If she didn’t give it over, confiscate everyone’s phone. So she would feel the pressure. But not assault her.

You don’t treat treat a child that way. If a parent is not allowed to use that kind of force against their own child because it’s not the way to discipline them, THEN WHAT IN THE WOULD GIVES A POLICE OFFICER THAT RIGHT? When the child’s own parent could be locked up for even less? I don’t care how disruptive she was, call her social worker and let her try. If that doesn’t work DO NOT GRAB HER AROUND THE NECK AND TRY TO LIFT HER FROM THE CHAIR. there was a much more civilised way to escort a child out of the room. Grab her by the arm or something BECAUSE SHE IS NOT A CRIMINAL. just a god damn teenager. A typical 15 year old. Give the child detention, kick them out of school, probation, isolation for a month. But not such force that you cause gruesome bodily harm. And if your child acted in such a way and they were treated like this by a police officer, and regardless of how you raised your child, you forget the social factors involved, the environment of where they live. But if you thought this would be okay if it was your child, then I am sorry to say that you are a failure as a parent. You’re supposed to protect your child, not condone violence against them. No wonder children have no trust in authority or adults anymore when people think this is okay. I feel sorry for that generation because our generation had clearly failed them.

I agree with just about everything you wrote. However if the child is not actually being disruptive, and simply sitting in their seat refusing to participate in class it very well could wait to be dealt with after. There is no need to call the police if the child is not a physical threat or actually disturbing the class to the point the teacher, and principal can’t control them. If she was hollering and throwing things, that would be a different story. This kind of force is NEVER okay on any person who is not being violent. Not listening doesn’t require being forcefully tackled to the ground.

Exactly right. Society awards people for being disruptive and disobedient now, especially when its towards police officers. Almost all the incidents that get all the media hype could’ve been avoided, by simply following directions. Why is it so hard to listen to instructions nowadays? I’m so sick of all the hypothetical answers to your comment also. As the author pointed out we don’t know the whole story. So stop inserting things like, “let her sit there quietly.” She obviously wasn’t to begin with. Even if she was, if you let her stay after three authoritative adults tell her to leave, then every other kid sees that weakness and knows authority there is meaningless (just like how our political checks and balances have become). Pretty simple really, and if a cop tells you to do something just use your kindergarten skills and do it.

Also how do all of you not mention the fact she assaulted an officer as soon as he grabs her? She tried to stab him with a pen. You can’t do that shit. This goes along with all the crap society does now. Everyone gets a trophy, you can’t punish your kids, and “Oh hes just expressing himself.” If people don’t see how this country is losing itself then we are in big trouble.

He shouldn’t have done that last throw, he should’ve arrested her as soon as he had control over her on the ground. But stop making excuses for people who don’t act like normal citizens and break the law and expect no consequences.

1. Irrelevant, the sentiment that she had been asked to leave as well as her behaviour being awful is something you don’t know the extent of. What types of behaviour would justify that level of force? We don’t know because as the author says, the extent to her behaviour is not really seen.
2. I’m not American but in schools with large amounts of crime in the area, isn’t it common to have an on-site officer? Stating that her behaviour is so bad that police had to be called gives the impression he probably wasn’t just alerted to a disturbance whilst sitting in the hall.
3. Being from Britain, you don’t handle children like that. At all. It’s just unsafe. Small environments, sharp objects…all safety hazards. Both of them could have been seriously injured.

I’m not excusing the student. She should have left the classroom when asked and she should be held accountable for that if the situation warrants that AFTER A FULL REVIEW OF THE SITUATION. But being put in a chokehold and tossed around by someone who is clearly at least twice her size is simply wrong. She is still a child. If this officer can’t figure out a less violent way of removing someone her size from a classroom, he should not be a police officer, and especially not an RSO in the schools. From what I’ve seen on the videos, not only did he fail to de-escalate the situation, he escalated it. In our schools, one of the responsibilities of SROs is to open up positive communications and relationships between students and the police force. I don’t know whether that is part of the job in SC, but if it is, I’d have to say he failed miserably.

Unless this girl threatened immediate violence with a weapon, the “whole story” of what happened in the classroom is irrelevant. The girl could have been seriously injured or killed being thrown around like that. Ditto for the poor kid behind her who almost got brained by a chair-leg. Anyone who thinks it might be appropriate for a teenager to be cold-cocked by a cop in the middle of a classroom for ‘attitude’ is possibly just a dangerous as that officer.

These videos send chills up my spine. Just reprehensible. And beyond the disgustingly rageful officer in this most recent incident – what about the other adult in the room?! The male teacher seen in one of the vantages? Why did he not step in, or even SAY something as the officer assaulted this child?!?!

Think: what was the desired outcome of any confrontation with that girl at her desk?
a. Remove the girl from the situation in the best way possible.
b. Remove the girl from the situation in the fastest way possible.

The best way is, in my opinion, one that doesn’t involve violence, doesn’t unduly disrupt the class, and doesn’t turn the girl into a victim and the adults into irresponsible agents.

The fastest way is to yank her out of the chair in front of all the students and drag her down the aisle until she’s out of the classroom. Very satisfying from the point of view “we sure showed her who’s in charge!”

But perhaps not the way we want students themselves to learn how to resolve conflicts.

All those kids saw what happened, and they learned this:
* Big people can take control of little people
* Violence is the only sure way to solve a conflict
* We can’t afford the time it would take to resolve a conflict — we have to resolve it so that it’s quick and that one side clearly “wins”

Assuming that the girl’s mother or father was alive and they did to the girl what the officer did, wouldn’t they be in prison for child abuse and everyone all over calling for their hunging? C’mon the girl was disobedient deserved punishment, but did not deserve to be manhandled and pushed around as if she was not human, to those who keep justifying the girl’s video what have you to say of the other two videos…

I am of foster mom. I have had a total of 4 foster children through DFCS and I am currently raising my 12 year old nephew. While I don’t “excuse” her choices that day, I can find NO EXCUSE for that cop! If you have not been a foster parent or worked directly with foster children then you have NO clue. Many a night I rocked my 11 year old foster son back to sleep after yet another terrifying nightmare. Sarah and D – were you held down by 4 people at age 7 and shot up with meth? Where you turned into a prostitute at age 11 just so your mother would have money to buy drugs? Did you learn at a very young age that grownups are extremely dangerous and they can do anything they desire to you and you have zero power to do anything? I think you probably grew up in a loving home. One in which you were protected from bad grownups. Perhaps that is why you seemingly have NO compassion for the girl. By the way, there are still many foster homes out there in which the foster parents pick up where the birth parents left off.

I absolutely hold her accountable for her choices that day. I know he was fired but is that cop sitting in jail for battering that child? Probably not. At what point do we hold him accountable?

Sarah and D, could you for one second imagine being in her shoes? Probably not. For all we know her foster dad could have gone to get bed (again) the night before demanding sex from her. How do you think you would behave? Do you really think you would have ANY respect for grownups?

Where in God’s name is your compassion?
What gives you the right to judge her? I’m pretty sure that the saying “Judge not, lest ye be judged”.

Because I can not see what you look like, I have no idea what race you are. Have you ever experienced prejudice? I have witnessed it. It is ugly and evil and there is NO EXCUSE for it. I am white and have not lived with that heavy burden.

If you have not walked 100 miles in someone else’s shoes, then you have no right to pass judgement on them.

Could we not have found compassion in our hearts and figured out a kinder way to handle things?

America in general has become a nation of people whose hearts are hardened to the tragedies that exist in this world. Most disturbing of all are the people that claim to be Christians. How can someone claim that when they so easily turn a blind eye to the hungry and downtrodden? When they pass judgement? When they spew venom aimed at an entire race or religion?
I have become ashamed to admit that I am a Christian and an American.

Unless you have gotten up every night for 6 months to rock an 11 year old boy (sobbing and trembling) back to sleep then please don’t display your self-righteous indignation. It is not pretty.

Your nightmares are just that. Nightmares. My foster son’s nightmares are his reality. You wake up and your bad dream is gone. His is not.

Respect for this true and heartfelt answer. You speak from your heart. I am very impressed! I am Dutch and people like you gives me some hope because there are still Americans that have common sense and a heart. You say you are ashamed to be an American and a Christian. Don’t be because you are an example of that what is the essence of being American and a Christian.

Thank you so much Marie-Jacqueline! It is a pleasure to meet you.
I grew up in the church and was taught to have love and compassion for all beings. The bible teaches us to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. We should never turn our backs on people. The bible also clearly states that we are not to judge. Not our job. I do not believe my religion is the only true religion. If I did feel that way it would mean I were judging others. I could be wrong but I really think there is one God but many people have different names for him and different books of worship. I think they pretty much say the same thing. Be kind and caring. America has become a land of the greedy. I truly understand why many people hate Americans.

I have to go but I look forward to more conversations with you. Thank you again. Have a wonderful day!

I love your honesty, sir. The whole story is important to help us avoid abuse and bad behaviour and stop stereotyping. I appreciate your perspective. Hopefully, a time will come when we fit the right kind of consequence with certain actions.

Police officers to not belong in school, videos that photoshopped do no belong in criminal situations. The who situation is so difficult and complex, of course the force was unacceptable. The officer fired. But look at the situation- this is w classroom. There is no solution, the best that can be done is let a kid use the iPhone, as long as the do not disturb anyone.
Teach the ones that want to learn. Do not let one child take the center stage

I totally agree, what the hell is a police officer doing In a school? There’s no need. Yeah there are a lot of school shootings happening in America recently…. Instead of creating of creating a hostile environment maybe they should try to figure why these things are happening, why schools are being targeted, where are these people getting guns from, what can we do to minimalise this in the best possible way. Adding a police officer into the mix I think makes things a lot worse. Kids getting caught in the crossfire?

There were many routes that could have been taken to sort this situation. The only time I remember a police officer being at my school when I was young was when kids were caught with what the teachers thought was a class A drug, which is a criminal offence. But of course using an iPhone is so much more dire than that. I can’t believe this had happened IN A SCHOOL. Is nowhere safe anymore? Imagine what this could mean for this generation? More kids not going to school because of fear?

When I saw the video of the little girl being thrown from her desk, the first thing that came to mind was the officer being cruel to the student. There is no excuse for ANY officer to treat a minor like that. That was not called for and it was irresponsible. He is an adult and he should lead by example. Officers get a badge and think they can get away with anything. Even if the girl was being disrespectful and defiant, she shouldn’t have thrown like that. You cannot justify the officers actions because he was wrong and the whole world knows it. Race had nothing to do with how to cop treated the child. He just need to learn how to treat people & find a new profession of course.

It starts that a teacher isn’t able to handle the stubborn emotional behaviour of a teenager. The principal actions escalates even more. How is it possible that this can happen in a school. How will this student but also the school as a whole learn to deal conflicts in an appropriate manour if this escalation is a possibility. I am Dutch

I am Dutch and I won’t tell you our educationsystem is perfect, teachers or principles, neither the police. But what happened here is so unheard of and so unbelievable and so deplorable behaviour of adults towards a teenager. Will lessons be learned from this, I am sorry to say that I doubt it!

If you did read my comments in this post it isn’t about the respecting authority figures alone. Respect is a two-way street. You can’t enforce respect. Because you don’t respect somebody, you fear somebody. Teaching respect is in fact thought by example. In this case a teen’s stubbornness, which is normal for this age-group, wasn’t defused by the teacher. To the contrary it escalated in that what is discussed here. What kind of pedagogical skills does a teacher lack, the principal, the policeman also to create such a reaction deplorable attitude towards the girl. What I see is demanding respect of the girl, but know respect shown to her. Teaching by example is also a two-way street

She deserves nothing other than the respect of being a living human being…
She hasn’t accomplished anything, she isn’t a professional. Her teacher and the cop have gone to school, earned their degrees, and undergone training for their respective fields.. She’s a bratty little teenager that thinks she’s owed respect for simply existing…. She should bite her tongue, no matter how she feels..

She is a minor, she is a student! The teacher the principal did among others have studied the pedagogical side of the behaviour of teens and how to adress them. The police officer should/must be trained in defusing conflictsituaties and to know how to deal with teens.
Whatever your opinion is that beginning by the teacher, the principal and the policeman their training didn’t kick in. The situation escalated to a level that wasn’t enough totally uncalled for. This is a teen we are talking about, not a criminal! When the girl was stubborn, like teens do sometimes, the teacher could have ignored the stubbornness for the moment, go on with teaching and tell the girl to stay after class.

If what you express about how to deal with this girl, condoning this excessive behaviour by school and police; than were is the respect for her as a human being?

What is sad is that our society has devolved to the point that we have to have armed police officers in our schools. This is actually the end result of a very, very long slide into moral depravity. The proverb is true: sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.

Yes, it is sad that police presence in American schools and is become a sort of normal. However moral depravity is used often by Americans for a wide range of situations, depending on social status, religious and political views. So it is still not possible to interpretation that what it means to you!

Kids need to learn that there are consequences to their actions and adults need to learn that not everything deserves a reaction. This situation isn’t black and white (metaphorically and literally speaking). This all boils down to kids not respecting authority and adults trying to make an example of the situation. Simple. No more. No less.
I personally think his reaction was a wayyyy over the top but I also think students need to learn how to listen to instructions. The whole situation could’ve been avoided if we (and I say we because we’re all human) learn to think before we act.

The consequence for a kid who isn’t following directions in school should not be, under any circumstances, bodily harm.

When kids are disobedient and non-compliant, there are methods to be used that do not involve violence, that keep the clear lines of authority intact, and that do not teach kids that we can always hit them if they don’t obey.

Abuse is never the answer. If that’s the answer you come up with then you need to stop and think again. We all do hold responsibility for our actions, but hold on, children are still learning (Even adults are still learning)! If we teach them with violence, what exactly do we expect them to learn? Teachers and police do have a difficult job. But if violence is their answer, then they are the problem.

You are truly an eloquent writer…thanks for sharing your gift of verbal expressions with the world. We can learn something from you…Desde, Reba La Maestra ~Reba The Teacher… “Teaching Life Lessons Learned “…te amo! @rebalamaestra.com

I agree with everything you have written. We do not know the whole story and we start playing the “blame game.” Sometimes story is too brutal to just say “This is not ok” but that does not give us a right to torture somebody. Politicians and extremists take advantage of such situations to increase their followers by raising issue of caste, color, religion, nationality etc without knowing “the whole story”.

It is paramount that irrespective of the whole or part story, we see actions for what they are, again regardless of caste, colour, race or creed. If someone has been brutalized physically where words would have sufficed it, there can be no alibis, no beating around the bush. Whether that officer suffered abuse himself or not, it is necessary that someone else ( like the little girl in this case) doesn’t suffer an abuse that traumatises her for life. And that’s where denouncement of such acts and moral judgement come in. He needs to be punished, but not because of his perceived colour-blindness, but because what he did, was wrong, again, irrespective of the circumstances.

This is very disturbing. I live in the UK, and police are restricted from carrying guns, just like everyone else. Until I’ve just watched those videos, I never learned to be thankful of this.

I know these events only occur in the minority of cases, but even if the whole story isn’t told, it’s unacceptable. It is human rights not to be subject to violence or such shameful treatment, for any reason.

I am Dutch and I am shocked and appoiled by the lack of pedagogical skills of the adults involved. The escalating of what is in fact a simple emotional stubborn behaviour of a teenager. Ofcourse this might be a rare exception, however it gives a signal that adults use excessive force to put their foot down at all costs. Also that by letting this incident escalate the way it did.

No one, and I repeat no one has the audacity to lay their hand on you or anyone else for that matter. A quote from Malcolm X ” be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts their hand on you send them to the cemetery” it just goes to show what society has become, regarding those who chose to it back and watch. This was a very increasing read, and did in fact catch me off guard 😔

You know that this shouldn’t be about this girl. As I understand she behaved like teenagers sometimes do; being stubborn even passing a point where they don’t know how to stop.
In my opinion it shows the inability of the teacher to handle the situation effectively. Than the next level is the principal, the same inability to handle the situation. And it doesn’t stop there it escalates even more. Police officer treats her as a dangerous criminal. How will this girl, a teenager, learn how to deal with a conflict situation when this deplorable action is taken towards her.
How in your right mind let’s a simple teenager stubbornness escalates into….. I don’t know an English word for this.

Guys please follow my blog I know it is rude to say this on someone else’s blog but I really need support because this blog is very important to me and if I have support than it would be great and this is truly coming from the heart

I won’t say yes or know to your post, is just your opinion. What I really think is that we are losing values and education. We are every time more selfish and rude and forgetting a very important and basic rule for a society living: respect! Respect for yourself and for others. For your own freedom and others. Don’t think yours is the most important think, everybody is living his own story; some take it better, some worst. Just respect others enough so that you don’t bother them with your own behavior. I think this is applicable to the girl and to the policeman.

While I grew up in several terrible environments not because of the color of my skin (which you don’t need to know my color) but because of poor choices my mother made, my reaction to this story is #3. You don’t have to know the whole story. My choices in life cannot be a reflection of how I was physically and mentally treated. How I was neglected and abandoned. At this young women’s age I would have already been defensive towards adults. Not trusting adults with or without a title or a badge. It wouldn’t have mattered to me or made it less painful or scarring to know who this officer was or was not dating. It wouldn’t be less scarring to know what his upbringing was like. No none of the above matters. The #3 CHOICE? No one, I mean NO ONE ever deserves this overbearing force, control or mishandling of a situation. It’s hard to believe that ALL OTHER MEANS of attempting to mediate this situation were used. WE NEVER NEED TO KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY BECAUSE THERE IS NEVER A STORY THAT HAS A CHAPTER THAT LOOKS, FEELS, SCARS AND DESTROYS A CHARACTER LIKE THIS! Either physical or mental abuse. No one ever deserves this story. And what about all the other kids in the class that witnessed this? What are their stories? Does it matter? No. Because no matter what anyone’s story is, this visual is imprinted in all of their minds firsthand for the rest of their lives. That’s the story behind the story if anyone really needs to wonder. And the future story for this young woman will be what she’s been through today, and if she has/had the support system to overcome any scarring this day put on her. Let’s hope for her future the choices and reactions she will make will have no reflection of what her story is today.

In response to no 2) We don’t know the whole story. Unless the girl was wielding an weapon is this anyway to treat another human being. Would she have been treated in this manner if she was white (I mean Pink for I don’t see white people only pink people)

This is a very well thought article, clearly, and you are absolutely right. There are two solutions to this problem, as I see it (From a teenagers perspective). Firstly, I believe that both sides, both young student and older officer, must learn the value of respect. If both sides had been showing respect and restraint, this conflict would have been avoided completely. Secondly both sides need someone available to show them how to use restraint, as this would have protected both sides from the emotional and physical damage that this conflict caused.

The officer was trained, to abuse. He was trained to handle street wars.
i would sue the school board, that wrote the procedures for handling a
Deviant teen, not a criminal. Parents don’t call the police each time there teenager is deviant.
The cell phone is not disturbing anyone. The teenager has already suffered abuse, so the police officer is no threat to her. It is not a matter of respect.
The cell phone may be keeping her under control. It is not respect.
It more about unreal expectations. Look at you violent prisons. It is system that needs to be broken. Abused children are beaten for no reason.
This young teen was doing able to sit still quietly in the class with her cell phone. If she was given a drug, to sit quietly, nobody would say anything.
The cell phone is not the violence, it not the perfect solution, but it is better than her becoming violent like the officer.
People from other countries are appalled, of course they are our country has been in a lot violent wars, we are a military country now. If you have an idea on how to help, use your higher level of education to influence our positions, not to be so eager to go to war, not to hire soldiers that from organized physical punitive religion, solders in combat, and members of hate groups. Hilary goes to countries to stand up for woman. iN our country we could use some help from the outside standing against hate groups that enter the us, international slave trade entering our country,
Stand against the kkk that comes into our country. We have a lot of people that work hard with low wages trying to rid the child abusers of all children in the turn of the century, trying to rid the true history of color from the American African and Caucasian. And their are places in our control where ideals are working. But, we
Lost of forward movement when war in Hollywood, and redneck brew, seemed gain more strength. So join the group.

Or is it like this everywhere, only our kid have the freedom to take videos and report atrocities better than our news stations.
If it wasn’t for cell phones, who knows what atrocities behind close doors are occurring. You can speak, in about ideas for our country. Because we have some freedom of speech.

Stand up for American children, the abuse starts at birth. Thumbs down to people who say the good mother slaps her son and brings him home, goes on television, as though he had never been hit, that motivating more parents to hit there children and beat them up.

Ya know I hadn’t even noticed their race since this whole thing is so brutal. I hope you know these videos are being put in the media to feed an agenda. There are so many white people along with black people and every other race being tormented by the police only you won’t see any whites being torn up by cops on the media because that doesn’t feed the narrative. I don’t care what anyone’s color is because that only takes away from what’s really going on and the real issues which are so much larger than anyone can fathom. This country is changing and not in a good way while the government run media has everyone wrapped up in these race wars and all these “mass shootings” our country is disappearing and this new one is being formed where all our rights and freedoms are being stripped away and no ones the wiser. They wish to divide us so that we can never have enough numbers to stand against them. They are the real enemy. The militarized police and the new government ran by the one percent of the world is winning and we are all the losers unless we stop making everything about who is what color and which is best instead we need to all wake up and band together to take our country back if we don’t this is only going to get worse and this government will effectively wipe us out by creating a second civil war where no one wins and the elite are rid of us all. Now that I’ve go that out of the way why don’t we talk about this situation at hand which is this video. This cop should not have ever been given a badge and the crazy thing is this has happened to me when I was in seventh and eighth grade I’m 29 now so it was a long time ago but I had a campus cop that would cuff me and slam me into the brick wall while dragging me. I feel so horrified for this girl I don’t care what her attitude was like he’s not her parent and she’s not breaking the law so he has no right to lay his hands on her and he belongs behind bars he’s not safe for our society. Things in the police dept all over America needs to change immediately first off they need screening like the FBI make sure these people are safe to deal with civilians then we need to make sure they know the law by creating a law class just for police officers I mean they go out and train their body and equipment a few weeks every year so this is training on the mental part and how is someone suppose to enforce the law if they don’t know it right?? I pray that we can all get through this time in our worlds history and come together as the brothers and sisters we are. God bless you all and I hope I made at least a little sense to someone anyways.

Great piece!! As a British person I’m really struggling to understand that some people genuinely believe that is acceptable for a police officer to use excessive for on a child.

I don’t care what the child did. Police officers shouldn’t be anywhere near schools. Why is their presence in schools normal? That’s why there are trained people who study social work etc… Posted in schools and the local community (well in England anyway). To help deal with kids like this and perfectly behaved kids who may just need some help dealing with something personal. You don’t know what is happening in her personal life for her to display that kind of behaviour. Whatever it was as I haven’t seen what she did before. Quite frankly unless she pulled out a gun or knife I don’t even want to hear the argument.

The U.K. Is by no means perfect and whatever that girl did. I’m sure I’ve seen a girls do worse when I was at school. I have never seen any teacher feel the need to call a police officer. It just wouldn’t happen.

I was a perfect student 98% of the time loved chatting to teachers, great friends, great grades, went to a good uni and ended up getting a great job. When my grandma died (my world) there was a short period where I just didn’t didn’t give a shit. Rude and didn’t want to be told what to do. Judging by some comments I’ve read and had I lived in the USA I should have been dragged across the floor by a police officer to teach me respect. Are you really being serious?!!!!!

Why are we dissecting the kids life. The police officer was in the wrong. End Of

Thanks for telling me that. I have never heard of this before…. I know police officers come in to schools to talk about safety, drugs and teaching kids how to be aware of danger etc… That’s perfectly normal. My friends does this. I’ve never heard of police officers being stationed in schools to help with discipline though. Nor others I know from schools all over the country.

It’s an unfortunate fact in many city based schools in particular, although the officer is.not there to support in the day to day discipline, more to lend legal support when it is needed. In the UK, the teacher in question would have requested support from a more senior teaching colleague, not the police officer.

There is no excuse for this behavior and the rush to racism as a cause is not always the answer. I agree that without the video very little would have been done in my opinion. This speaks volumes on the administration within the police departments. Your article also speaks loudly about the news media. Incomplete stories and even inaccurate reporting may result from the rush to get the story out first, to compete. That is an integrity problem for those who put out the news both print and electronic. Why do I need to find more details in blogs? The details should be the story because the closer you get to a person the harder it is to hate. The information which you provided gets us closer. Thanks.

I think when the police is too violent…there is something wrong in the State, something weak. Something which prevents the police to feel secure and protected when they do their job.
I am not defending the “violent” cops, but just trying to see all angles.
As usual the best truth is in the middle….

I think the dividing line on all these “police vs. citizens” videos that are constantly being put up for scrutinization by not just the media but everyone with a blog, follows along the question: do you trust cops to do the job we’re asking them to do for us or not? If not, are there any public officials you do trust?

That is unacceptable for any race or gender, to behave like that to anyone else despite their race or gender. The police needs to check their officers because i’m starting to question them, and i’m sure a lot of other people are feeling the same.

One question missing, on top of the abuse. As far as I know, the student was told to leave the room; I would like to know what happens when a child leaves the room. Under real behavior problems, children were sent to the principle office or was told to take outside in the hall, and the principle on duty walked through the halls, and grilled students on why they were hall, and took them to the office. The question I have is “what happens when a student leaves the room?
This officer in question’ I am sure has answered more calls; fortunately this call was videotaped. When something like this happens, we must look
At not just the time the officer was caught abusing children, but also at other places he has been. Also, this school needs to be look at and followed up. Also, the department sheriff needs to be followed up. I thought that the sheriff was attending a conference in Chicago, where the police are under attack for abusing, people. This is a real problem, not just
With minorities being abused, but anyone who is not protected by a over average income. I am not inferring the sherif at conference did any thing wrong, but because he may have been looking for answers on how to change the system he works in. Innocent assumption are to be included.
We need to know, the politics that enables abusive police to be hired. we need know what freedom good law abiding police officer have when they work with abusive officers. We need not to blame the good police officers for looking away, because if they do not look away, they may not be able to
Provide the protection and support to the people who do have good officers.

In the sixties, I was bussed to an all sixth grade school, the school was staffed predominately by African American teachers. It originally was
An all African American student school. To solve overcrowding during complete closing of segregated schools all sixth grader attended one school. The only incident we had was a black student, who kicked our male gym teacher in the privates because nasty to here. He was wrong, and the principle expelled her. So she was home a few days. But can you imagine what it look like if officer had come inside the school, if that officer man handled her. This was a year before Martin Luther King was assassinated.
All students of every color were shocked that she kicked the teacher-
The racist would have used this to degrade all black American students when reality in this school, there were not fights like today. Many whites would have condemned her and the teacher, many African Americans would have a good reason to protest, since they would never had thought about hitting a teacher. It would ignited more fear in already strained environment. We all know in fear, you fight or take flight. See this current abuse of the law, (may I say over ordinary behavior) of a teenager weather or not the teen was living under extraordinary challenging circumstances.
So the issue do what I say or I will beat you up is the culture of redneck child rearing, and redneck Christian culture, and redneck people of all colors. Today rednecks are wealthier, and have more money.

look i am with u tht we dont know the whole story for sure but what he did isn’t acceptable even if she was a thug he shouldn’t do that it isn’t his responsbility to jude her all what he should is to arrest her for any reason this is surely unacceptable..

I heard about the incident that happened in south Carolina and I think that was completely unacceptable for the police officer to treat that high school student that way. That is so so so wrong on the officers part, he should be the one to get jail time. Great post!!!

I was getting angry when he was just kneeling on her back! She probably couldn’t breath! I felt like shooting him right there! Not caring if I would get in trouble! These police officers go around like the own the world and act like they can do whatever they want!

And did anyone notice how all of these videos had colored people! That’s messed up! Colored people say they want to be treated like everyone else! But they aren’t! (I’m sorry! I’m not trying to sound racist! So please forgive me if I do!)

Well in my opinion the “whole story”is an excuse to justify the wrong doings of a person. And race will always be an issue! We know this and whomever disagrees then they’re blind to reality or don’t care to know the truth. We all know the black community is treated much worse than other ethnic groups. But at the same time when will we be held accountable for our own actions? He told her to get up she should have kept her mouth closed and gotten up. It wouldn’t have hurt her. Many cases we argue we still have blame involved.

Cop overreacted and certainly needed to be disciplined, but fired? I don’t know. Possibly.

So many different ways to handle that student outside of direct physical violence. Lack of imagination.

My issue lies with the student. She doesn’t have the right (regardless of her struggles, because she knows right and wrong, she knows the school policy on cell phones). She doesn’t have the right to disrupt the class like that. There is little if anything the teacher can do if the child were to get up and leave the room to use the phone. Why not just leave? Happens every day, multiple times a day in my school. She was disruptive for the attention and the teacher, principle, and cop all played into it.

Make no mistake, this was her fault. The others made mistakes but the responsibility for the entire situation lands on the trifling little twit.

The student is a child under the law. The deputy sheriff is a fully grown and responsible adult male, and a symbol of both the law and of responsible, reasonable adulthood to the children in the classroom/

Keep those two things in mind as you consider first what she did and then what the police officer did.

The student refused to actively obey orders; that is, she apparently refused to put her phone away in class with enough alacrity to satisfy the teacher and principal, who called in the cops.

A phone.

The sheriff’s deputy’s response to her non-compliance went from telling her to do what the teacher said straight to yanking her from her chair so violently the desk and the girl both overturned; he then proceeded to yank her down the aisle to both get her out of the class and (apparently) to show her and the class who’s the boss.

Absent the girl’s refusal to obey an order–which was simply passive non-compliance–is this really the way you want children to be treated? This girl is in high school–do you find it reasonable that an officer of the law would treat a trespass with such violence?

The girl in question apparently has a broken arm. Is this really what you think is both reasonable and necessary?

Would you want to be so treated by the law if you were found to be in non-compliance over a disciplinary rule and not an action where you were at risk of damaging others or yourself?

We save violence for the moments when only violence is necessary–or we should.

We shouldn’t use guns and knives and rocks and fists to solve conflicts. We should use words and persuasion and compromise and even the abandonment, sometimes, of the conflict in question until we are better prepared.

What we shouldn’t do is resort to violence to show our righteousness.

And dear god in heaven, we shouldn’t be resorting to violence to “control” kids. That is just reprehensible.

Two different adults tried to reason with her and she refused. Cop used to much force but the situation was brought on by her being a piece of shit. She is responsible. This bleeding heart response is only emboldening her for the future. Again, the response was excessive but by absolving this “child” of responsibility you are condemning her to a future of failure and given the relationship between the police and the black population of this country, you could be condemning her to death.

She is responsible and should be dealt with according to district policy.

Frederizsche, First: refrain from verbally abusing the child, further. She was not being a piece of shit. Your granting others permission to keep abusing her by using that language. You are perpetuating her objectification which entitles abusers.

The adults around her have not demonstrated any ability to control their violence or protect her from violence.

Why do you expect her to know how to control herself more than they do?

The adults did not respond to her special needs as a foster child. Why should she know how to respond properly?

What you are defending is child abuse. If you don’t understand what abused children need, then you fail them. They don’t fail you.

If you’d like to explore information and tools about how to work with at risk youth, it would be a far better use of time than scolding Stephen Matlock.

I have worked with and witnessed abused foster children go through PTSD come from being labeled as retarded (as they were misunderstood) to being capable of reading (at proper grade level) after the right adults simply took enough time. It took time and patience and love. He wasn’t retarded. He wasn’t a bad boy. He was abused with no reason to trust when I met him. When enough adults controlled their behavior and stopped blaming him, and really listened and watched his patterns of depression which sometimes shut him down so he could not respond (not wouldn’t, but emotionally couldn’t) we found ways to help him grow into his potential. His outbursts stopped.

You need to rethink why you want to punish the child and defend the police.

More than likely, she is a piece of shit. It may not be her fault but I am willing to be bet that she is aware of her piece of shit status, thereby making her guilty. The teacher, admin, and cop are all piece of shit too. (For reasons mentioned below. No more entitled abusers). The abuse she has been receiving has been at the hands of her parents and her family and friends, neglect and a lack of any support, discipline and education (not schooling).

I have said again and again (above) that the cop overreacted and should be punished. The initiation of force is immoral. According to that philosophy that child shouldn’t be forced to attend schools that abuse her. However, seeing that she is in attendance there is a minimal line of behavior that is acceptable. Her behavior crossed that line. I will say again, the teacher and admin didn’t handle it right. There were many other ways to move forward from that spot that didn’t involve violence. They failed.

Your feel good story is misplaced. No relevance and I don’t care about how good you think you are.

Let’s see this girl in 20 years. Chances are my piece of shit label is accurate. Could I be wrong? Sure.

No frederizsche, she’s not a piece of shit. She’s a human being and you don’t approve of her behavior in a matter that is none of your business. You’re using violent language that perpetuates violence against women and children. You are justifying the objectification of a girl. This is what rape culture is. Watch your step with me. I am not going to tolerate or encourage your irresponsible behavior. You are showing me and every reader here disrespect calling the child a piece of shit. You are degrading us all. I am asking you to stop your part of the abuse, PLEASE.

The school to prison (massive incarceration system) is a fact. And how we address it matters, since you’ve brought it up. Here is a short lecture and a book that will support a new approach to how we understand excessive force, police brutality, prisons, and the way we are fueling our economy in huge part on modern day slavery. These sources of information aim to deconstruct and change the existing systems rather than victim blaming and perpetuating the cycles of abuse that lead to what you have expressed being afraid of. These links do not advocate for a lack of responsibility on the part of the prisoners.

Until you have gone through the education and training necessary to work with foster kids or abuse victims, you are not going to be able to understand patterns of depression and what can trigger or resurface. So your “seeing how she was in attendance” line of defense is moot.

Please do not respond to me if you’re going to argue for name calling and violence.

Every human has the capability of being a piece of shit. Much like becoming a murderer, the right set of circumstances and almost anyone (outside of the very young) can become one.

I curse often, there is nothing violent about it. Because you take offense, doesn’t make it violent. Why do you leave men out of that statement. The phrase “a piece of shit” only perpetuates violence against woman and children? Again, any and everyone can be a piece of shit. The only reason she is being objectified here is because she happened to be a female. My response would have been the same had the student in this instance been a male.

Rape culture? Hi! My name is earth. Just wanting to say hello.

If it offends you, don’t read it. Why must I show you respect? This is how I talk, write.

No argument about the school. How many goddamn times must I say the cop was in the wrong?

Training. So I can be certified “expert” by the racist rape culture you so detest? What do you know of my training? Maybe I see this crap too often and where you see a victim, I see a perpetrator?

Show me one time I supported violence! Hell, I even said she shouldn’t even have to go to school. Point to me condoning violence outside of my “piece of shit” comment. Which I find more colorful than violent, more funny than hurtful.

You and I see the world through different lenses. You think I violent when I support the NAP and I think you are a mental patient, even though you seem to possess some (small as it may be) rationality.

If you have not noticed, I am a piece of shit. Albeit my own brand. Everyone loves their own brand.

You believe that guessing at my whole story without knowing it and judging me so you can dehumanize me, and call everyone a piece of shit, is a sounder thing for the world?

Hmmmm….

You picked up the cliche and ran with it when you heard the old, “takes one to know one” huh?

Well anyhow, there’s a difference between cussing and calling a person a piece of shit. I have no problem with profanity. I am not above it. Cussing can dumb down a conversation, but it’s okay in the right context. I don’t censor words or thoughts.

I do stand up to abuse. I don’t call this a brand. I’ve never been concerned with or about marketing.

Linguistically throughout history dehumanizing people via derogatory labels made and makes it easier to “see” the enemy and so therefore easier to kill the enemy. It’s a tactic of war. Of politicians.

Women are easier to not care about after many layers of objectification through out our specific histories and your use of language is violence in how it makes the human vanish. No one likes shit. If we hate shit, we get rid of it. We don’t listen to shit. Shit is disposable.

Encouraging others to see her as shit and not as human is to justify hatred. It erases her. It murders her character. There’s nothing helpful you can actually do or have done by calling her shit.

You wanted me to show you your support of violence. You demanded me to prove it. I have.

Since you have declared yourself a piece of shit, and have no self respect,
I have no reason to talk to turds…

frederizsche, you seem lonely and in need of my attention because someone at some point in your life told you, you were a piece of shit and you believed them.

I can’t help you love yourself. But I hope you learn to. You don’t have to believe that you must reflect shit or that all of life does.

We (teachers) are supposed to tell the little kids we work with that people sometimes do bad things, but we don’t tell them they are bad. We give them room for their mistakes because that’s how we all learn… the coping skills that create self respect and self esteem are missing in people who call themselves shit.

What you are here for is not about this post or the student and officer in the article.

Why are you asking ME that? Are you a Russian Bot? A Trump fan? Anti-democracy or what? If you are feigning knowledge of Neitzsche and pretending he was anti-woman, you are sorely misinformed and misinterpreting. If you are looking to me for your bait, you are a dumbass. This teacher/author blog you are commenting on once said that we should try to understand our Trump supporting friends and relatives… And not just smack talk ’em or kick ’em to the curb. So yes, he supports YOUR abuse of women and you may attempt your misogyny here without being policed by HiM.
If you dare come to my site(s) however your balls will be cut and you’ll be hanged without recognition. I will grant you no forum as you deserve nothing from me, not even some baffling christian Pence or evangelical forgiveness.
Any more questions with your fake name and fake persona? Or do I need to call you my bitch?
You are a troll. With no real name. So abusing women can not be done by your likes. You are a fake account by all accounts.
DO NOT speak to me again.

But she didn’t do anything that majority of children do. But she wasn’t reposnsible for being assaulted. If you’re going to speak at least say it properly. She was responsible for her behaviour and when children act in this way, and are attention seeking and disruptive. You make an appointment with the guidance councillor and you make it compulsory for her to attend or she gets expelled. So you can deal with the underlying issues of what is behind her disruptive behaviour. Did anyone think about who she was speaking to? Kids these days are ruled by their emotions. Maybe there was a reason she was so reluctant to depart from her phone. Find out what the hell it is and deal with it. Communicate with the youth in every way imaginable without using physical force. BECAUSE NO CHILD WHO HASN’T COMMITED A CRIME BROUGHT VIOLENCE FROM WHAT SHOULD BE A TRUSTED AUTHORITY FIGURE AGAISNT THEMSELVES. BECAUSE THAT JUST BULLSHIT AND OBVIOUSLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THERE DAYS

Thank you for having some sense. Thank you. What comes to my mind is that if I was a police officer and someone rang me saying ‘she won’t put her phone away, can you come and remove her from the classroom’ I would have told them to stop wasting my time and deal with the situation as teachers have done for the past 15 to 20 years. Please and thank you.

That is normal, i do not know teacher, but I was surprised it was the other student who responded, naturally, that this is not right. The teacher said nothing! This is subjective, but make me question if other students have not been treat like this one. It like I am after someone, it just it so shocking that it happened, that the automatic protective response is that there more students abused at that school. It does not imply that there is, it implies that possibility is open.
I personally do believe that her being a foster child is relevant to her being stubborn, there many stubborn students. It is not behavior to judge, because she broke the rule, but she did not do any out of common school
Behavior, for some kids. I private school, a wealthy child would do the same thing, although the motivation is different. I hope she have loving support group.

A 15 year old boy can’t even shower more than once a week if that, and a 15 year old girl can’t decide what colour nail polish she wants to wear that day. And you think she’s going to make a rationalised decision on whether it’s beverly to leave the classroom or play for attention. Well another factor, if anyone going to ask for attention it will be a child who’s in foster care. Get her to go to a councillor not body slam her.

Conversing with you people is like talking with a wall. Read what I wrote and if you can find anything in there where I support the resource officer I will applaud you. If you don’t, maybe you could shut the f*ck up about it.

AT NO POINT DID I SAY THE COP WAS IN THE RIGHT.

You people and reading what you want to read regardless of what’s written.

Move on to the next “victim” of the racist, paternal, chauvinistic, machine. Without your ranting and raving about how it’s not their fault they might learn to stand on their own two feet and realize their fate is in their hands.

okay you know what, you’re an arse. That girl has learned that she has to deal with problems on her own, she has learnt that her actions will have consequences, she has learned that if she’s not careful she will lose her life. Because no one In that classroom lifted a finger to help her. A classroom full of students and a teacher saw violence against her and decides to make a video instead. BECAUSE IN THIS SOCIETY THAT IS ALL THE HELP SHR WILL GET. We argue on the Internet not for her sake, we argue for every other child in the world that should be protected against child abuse, we argue so that children out there speak up and aren’t afraid. But what everyone is trying to to you sis that Yeah she’s responsible for her own actions but HER ACTIONS DID NOT CAUSE THIS. and to believe that they did, it’s ridiculous.

Videos are not the beginning of the story. Any video starts with the REACTION to the beginning of the story. No one has their camera out 24/7, and in the few seconds it takes for the video to start, the beginning is not filmed.

Similarly, on the playground, teachers only notice the person who hits -back- and not the person who hit first.

Who are you Rosemary Mermaid? What’s your angle? Your site is reserved.

Teaching young people and girls to allow authority figures to get away with emotional abuse and physical assault, and to minimize the traumatic effects or deny them, and to demand that at risk youth be equipped with the coping skills required to deal with stress and social expectations when their most basic needs have not been met and when their trust has been betrayed is just further abuse and neglect.

It’s actually positive that she had a strong will. It is part of how she has survived her ordeals as a foster child. And her “whole story” is none of our business. She should not be outed and further abused publicly by anyone. She is being violated by every adult who asks for more details about her life to prove she deserved better treatment or more time or kindness or privacy. She’s not the danger to any one. She was defending herself when a BIG man put his hands on her from an instinct. It was the adults and all of the systems around her that failed. She is a child.

As I wrote to another reader:

I was in a classroom once where the teacher got frustrated with a boy who always combed his hair and he grabbed the comb and threw it into the garbage with great force startling everyone. I had an english teacher who liked to crack an actual sword on desks to command respect and one day he did it so hard it broke and everyone laughed. Those actions made the teachers seem out of control and absurd at the time… but to lose all self control and be at a total loss for what to do as an educator or a policeman with a slim girl, and to throw her whole person and break her arm is criminal. It is child abuse. By all definitions of the law. Teachers are required by law to report child abuse not participate in it. There is always someone you can call in to defuse much more intense situations than this. That’s why there are people trained in suicide hot-line counseling for teens. So this was a calm girl ignoring the adults and she was not threatening or dangerous with her behavior and yes, the adults needed to recognize she needed extra time and patience and kindness. There is no “at the expense of the other students” when the lesson in empathy would have benefitted ALL of them students and adults alike, far more than more and more violence. There is are far more important lessons than book learning. Kindness is one of them when we don’t understand the deep pain of a young person.

I have worked with and witnessed abused foster children go through PTSD come from being labeled as retarded to being capable of reading after the rights adults simply took enough time. It took time and patience and love. He wasn’t retarded. He wasn’t a bad boy. He was abused with no reason to trust when I met him.

You need to rethink why you want to punish the child and defend the police.

Not sure why “who I am” matters. I was simply asking if they had seen the other videos. My angle on the whole situation is that as stated by others “we don’t know the whole story”. If one shouldn’t jump quickly and think that the officer was not totally in the wrong here, why should we also not jump to conclusion thinking he was? There have been so many people to say that this was completely wrong and that the girl was doing nothing that deserved this treatment. Maybe this girl should also learn to respect authority and learn to do as she is told to by those in charge. By telling this girl that she was not in the wrong is just like telling her that she can go on with the rest of her life disrespecting others. IMO- this is what is wrong with our society these days. Too many children have been raised that they don’t need to listen to anyone else. Which has led to a total lack of disrespect and people rioting and looting. Maybe she has had systems that have failed or maybe she has been a disrespectful brat her entire life and thinks she doesn’t need to listen. Maybe that is why she is in a foster home? We don’t know. Law enforcement does not get nearly close to the amount of respect that they deserve anymore. I am not saying that there is not officers out there that abuse their privileges. This was not abuse nor neglect. She was asked multiple times to leave the classroom and she defied the teacher. Then she defied the officer. I don’t know many parents that are raising civilized children that would allow their child or teach their child that striking at an officer is okay. Plain and simple if she would have done what she was told and left the classroom, non of this would have happened.

I’ve never seen things from a one sided vantage. That can not be said of me at any point in my life. I’ve always been open to considering others.

I have a deeper understanding of children who have been abused, that all. If that’s seeing things “only my way” so be it.

I don’t know if you watch football, but last year during that half time commercial for the super bowl they had an ad for domestic violence where the lady placed a call to the police and acted like she was ordering a pizza… because she couldn’t talk openly. Anyhow it had a big buzz around it, if you don’t know the reference. My point is, shortly after that, there was a sheriff in a county near me who was moving into a new home… and needed service work, and the workmen who entered… witnessed the signs and evidence of abuse: holes punched in the walls, broken furnishings, dissociative children, a nervous cowed wife, and a sherif who wouldn’t look any service man in the eye and stood glaring from the distance at his wife’s every move. Now the service men didn’t see anything directly done but it was so obvious and disturbing that the household wasn’t ok…
No one knew who to report to… and they didn’t really want to be involved going against a sheriff…and I though wow…the wife can not call and act like she’s ordering a pizza to get help from the sheriff dept. even if she wanted to and he’s got all the other men not wanting to make trouble…

I’m not against the police and the sheriffs… but they are only human and should not be above the law they serve.

Hey there again, I just noticed that you Rosemary, from your other conversations with the blog author and readers are advocating for child abuse. You told me you didn’t tolerate child abuse. But when you are calling children bitches and assholes you are being emotionally abusive. This has been studied and the facts concluded that it can be far worse to suffer verbal insults over physical ones. So now after the student was thrown around by a cop, here you are calling her a little bitch.

Rosemary… you need some parenting classes of your own. Stay away from other people’s children.

I just wonder how many times she had done this before? It just seems that there is still more to it that we do not know. I also heard on the news that the students were rallying to get the officer’s job back. If that is true, then there is a lot that we do not know.

And what WE can do, is work for better policies in schools, foster programs, police departments, social services, mentor programs, community outreach, peer-helper programs, student hotline helpers, etc.

We don’t need to form lynch mobs around children, and their individual cases or demand to know their whole stories to appease our curiosity or serve our political factions. It was up to the adults to handle the situation with one girl in a nurturing way. We can not apply the same discipline to all children. Some just break and we have to be gentle. She may have appeared hostile, but she was at a breaking point that need to be prevented not piled on. Depression is sorrow and anger both. Those are the emotions.

A teacher can always tap a student leader to walk the class to the library, the librarian can be made aware that the class needs the study-room period. The counselors and the teacher can then find out the help that the student needs help and if something was happening in her life. Maybe she just needed a place to go that day without being picked and made into the example for her class mates. School just isn’t always about the class work… it’s about whole families and when you work in schools the best ones have parent participation. This student has no parents participating.

In a time when people are clinging to their guns and demanding cops in schools and school shootings are happening, everyone needs to SLOW down and take the time with children and stop the actions that cause more confusion, division, and violence.

The student rallies around the officer don’t mean they “know” any thing. It means they have their own personal experiences to him and they aren’t considering hers.

I worked with a boy who frightened the other children and we had to work through that. No other kids liked him and they thought he was strange and resistant and disruptive. They helped bully him and alienate him further. He was a foster child and abused by family that abandoned him and foster parenting… so he couldn’t explain his differences. He never knew “normal”. Eventually, he and I broke through how he was making others feel so he could identify and empathize with them too. It took time and commitment, but he learned to trust and be trusted and has friends now… he can control his body and use his words and follow directions.

Our focus should be on turning her into an excuse for an officer to be violent towards children.

There is domestic violence within sheriff department families too. Their families have a harder time reporting, as I’m sure you can imagine.

So… yeah I don’t need to know the “whole stories”. I just need to know we are preventing child abuse, aware of the differences between children and adults and what we expect of our police officers when working with children. I don’t currently “know” any of those things and that should concern parents when the schools allow this to happen to any child.

You obviously didn’t watch the video I posted, because the one I posted shows both angles. A girl hitting the chest of the giant arms putting her in a choke-hold and flipping her over is a natural response.

You know who else saw this angle? The authorities who saw fit to fire this guy. That fraternity is a very loyal one… Do you think you know better than them what is acceptable behavior for officers working with kids?

Every one is either pointing their finger at the officer or the child’s upbringing. This could clearly just be that this girl is clearly just a little bitch that thinks that she is better than everyone and does not need to do as she is told. Only because I can speak from having experience with a “defiant” child. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try as a parent, your child is just an ass hole! Eventually we all hope that what we have taught them, what we have shown them, they will learn right from wrong. We can’t say that she has a bad home life and that she is a product of her family. She is a product of our society. This girl knew exactly what she was doing. She is old enough to know right from wrong and to make her own decisions. Children at this age know that if they misbehave there are repercussions. Any child in that classroom I am sure was well aware that if they misbehaved they would have had the SRO called upon them. She chose to defy her teacher,. She chose to defy the police officer. She chose to put her hands on the officer. She chose to punch the officer. If she was on the street and the officer told her she couldn’t loiter and she hit him, what would we all expect as the result?

This child is clearly a product of our society. Our society that seems to have lost their way and think that we can all do just as we please. I know we all teach our children that they can be anything they want, we are our own person and only we can make the choices for our life. This is yet somehow also instilling in people’s brains that we can treat others with no respect. That is the biggest issue with this world today. No one seems to shows any empathy towards most of society anymore and it is such a disgrace.

I appreciate your thoughtful article here, and for at least mentioning the possibility that race was not relevant in this unusual story. You did a fine job of attracting an audience on that premise, but quickly gave in to the trending mindset that everything bad that happens is race-based. Listing every tragic scenario in recent history about cops abusing their subjects and posting the videos supports your cause and makes it all the more clear that your headline is just more of the same…click-bait. It’s how journalism is defined by today’s standards. Still, you gave a new concept some airtime and got a nice plug for your blog.

I’d like to point out the harsh reality that we still don’t know the whole story and never will. News in the US is now just a commodity, bought and sold like so much beef or fuel, using the same tactics you used with your headline.

Interesting that you wish to get “the whole story” for the child, and maybe for the cop, but you failed to give the other students in the classroom any consideration at all. What’s their story? And what about the teacher? It’s likely the students missed out on at least one lesson and more likely, they missed a few others as well as the disruption may have taken several days to to dissipate–especially with the ‘news’ coverage surround it.

The bigger question here is, what, exactly, were the adults in charge of this situation supposed to do with the errant child? The feel good mentality so prevalent in your article and reader comments suggest that either the teacher or the cop very gently charm the girl out of her chair and out of the classroom so that the others are able to do some school work–since that’s the goal of school and classrooms and teachers.

Based on the part of the story that we do know, the child did not appear likely to cooperate. What then? Should the adults have taken the entire allotment of teaching time to coax and sweet talk and cajole the little darling into giving up her phone and facing her penalty for breaking the code of the classroom?

Another fairly relevant event that you left out of your article was the student protest a few days after the cop was fired. Photos and videos of the event appear to indicate that most of the protesters were black children who stood in support of the cop. What’s their story? Surely they know more about the ‘whole story’ than we’ll ever know.

In spite of your obvious agenda to support the flavor the day, which is, cops are bad and blacks are always victims, the article was well-written and at least offered an opportunity to discuss an alternative concept–even when the easier answer is to stick to the status quo.

I do not think the child needed to be sweet talk too. I think most parents would flip out at the very thought of their child getting Hulk Smashed! In reality interruptions happen in life there is no way to avoid them. Picture a life with no distractions, it does not exist. If the girl is that out of control expel her but don’t teach her violence. I have children and if that was my child on video it be all hell! I think most parents would not sign off on their kid getting slammed by a grown ass man. If my child is extremely disobedient to the point you want to get physical expel him or her and send them home so I can deal with them.

Telling her she was expelled would not do anything. This makes no sense. She was told to leave the classroom repeatedly and did not. You cannot expel a child that you cannot get to even get out of her seat.

I think you misunderstood I am not talking about just saying it to her. I apologize for not mapping it out better for you. I said if her behavior was so extreme like people are saying it was, then expulsion is the answer not assault. So the disruption could not occur again. I do not think it was that extreme and serious. I would have continue teaching the class and ignored the behavior. I do not think she would of stayed seated forever. I mean humans eat and use the potty. I am quite sure she would have eventually left the seat on her own. She would have never had the opportunity to come back to that seat once she left. If I felt she was too out of control for the classroom. I think when we do not see immediate results we panic and make mistakes. Slow it down and think about it. I can’t beat the crap or slam my child around in the store when he throws a fit and lays on the ground refusing to leave. I talk to him and he does not budge so I wait he eventually gets up and walks out with me. Guess who is not allowed to go back with me to the store until I feel he is going to behavior better, yeah my son. His dad knows Jr is getting left behind at home with him. Kids require patience and I know not everybody has that. Do not be a parent or around kids if you lack that trait. You will probably snap and ruin your life. Like the officer.

Berserk One… I was in a classroom once where the teacher got frustrated with a boy who always combed his hair and he grabbed the comb and threw it into the garbage with great force startling everyone. I had an english teacher who liked to crack an actual sword on desks to command respect and one day he did it so hard it broke and everyone laughed. Those actions made the teachers seem out of control and absurd at the time… but to lose all self control and be at a total loss for what to do as an educator or a policeman with a slim girl, and to throw her whole person and break her arm is criminal. It is child abuse. By all definitions of the law. Teachers are required by law to report child abuse not participate in it. There is always someone you can call in to defuse much more intense situations than this. That’s why there are people trained in suicide hot-line counseling for teens. So this was a calm girl ignoring the adults and she was not threatening or dangerous with her behavior and yes, the adults needed to recognize she needed extra time and patience and kindness. There is no “at the expense of the other students” when the lesson in empathy would have benefitted ALL of them students and adults alike, far more than more and more violence. There is are far more important lessons than book learning. Kindness is one of them when we don’t understand the deep pain of a young person.

Some of the students are standing up for him, attractive and a robot weight lifter. They said his toughness protected them, so I wonder what he has done to other students. They need to know your protector, is not your hero.

What you here and do not see is irrelevant, to who he is, and he used fired because of his choices. I still believe, the who school needs to be investigated. The student in the room said what the ones that were not there would have thought, “she did not to anything” they were shocked.

Most likely they will be guest on dr Phil, Dr. Phil will tell him to man up. They will come up with a suitable story, he will be compassionate to the teen and send her to a nice place to heal, and he tell the officer he needs treatment, and he might coheres her to apologize for disrespect. And for the public the ordeal will be over. If he works a deal the event will be closed. Of course he tell the audience not to judge. The rating will be high, money will be made. But nothing will change.

Hi lostsheepkay,
This isn’t about opinion. Child abuse is always wrong. Keep it simple. Take the politics out of it if you have to and forget the hashtags. We have defined child abuse by law and as teachers are required to report. The adults all helped facilitate child abuse and failed in their professions to meet the special needs of an at risk youth. They failed to protect her from violence. Children don’t go to school to teach the adults self control and respect, adapting, coping, and trust…

It doesn’t matter who judges and blames… it matters that we insist that child abuse is unacceptable and that violence, fear, intimidation, or impatience is not the way to teach children.

I’ve had so many disgusting and vile arguments over this. People using the ‘whole story line’ when the whole story shouldn’t even matter in this circumstance because if we take out the racial factor…. You’re left with a child and I repeat A CHILD manhandled by someone who is there to protect, we should not fear police officers, we should feel confident and be able entrust them to keep us safe but after watching videos like these I feel the opposite and at the same time I no longer trust the psych evaluation these officers undertake because clearly that copy has anger issues and someone with anger issues should not be working with children, should not be around the next generation. You don’t see stuff like that in England, not so openly and not in schools. A child has to deal with enough rubbish at school, they shouldn’t be demonised by adults as well as their peers. I argued for hours against someone who thought this was a justified act because she should have listened the first time. ‘she made it worse, she shouldn’t have fought against him’ listen pal, if someone thinks it’s okay to grab me around the neck, I will react and funnily enough all she did was grab his arms, she didn’t even hit him, because I will tell you now he would have got an elbow in the gut. Because nobody touches me like that, and no police officer should touch anyone like that when they pose no threat to them, their peers and themselves. That type of force is disgusting for such a minor situation where a child was acting out. That’s the most disgusting part, forget skin colour that’s a child, a teenager but still a child.

Mus grove, one context that is self evident, is the objective reality, clearly video taped; a student in school was grabbed by the throat, and has a broken arm. that is not an opinion, that is fact. I did not think it was about judgment, it about shock! It was the first time we saw a non violent person, who did not break our legal system. Which does not include a minor incident common in public education. It is irrelevant to why she did not do what she was told. She did not break the law. If rule is do not chew
Gum, not put cell phone away, would you call the police to come and beat the student up. No!
She is not one who made this happen, yes young people in rules in regulars are given rules. But they are responsible for the behavior of the adult. They are not in control of the adult that abuse them. It does matter,
What she did! It is not an opinion, she has broken no laws.

Reading through all these comments…which are all simply individual opinions without any context, it’s obvious that some people like to judge what’s “right” and “wrong” completely based on their feelings. Sorry, but how something makes you personally feel doesn’t have anything to do with what’s right and wrong, and it definitely isn’t what determines if it’s IS right or wrong. I hate to break it to you, but that’s not how it works. Just try it in court sometime and see what happens. You’re going to be a constantly disappointed and angry person if you go through life believing it is, even if you’re able to find others to side with your false belief on the internet or out in the streets at a “protest.”

No one said there were any false people. Beliefs are. What people’s emotions are a result of, again, is irrelevant. That doesn’t hold up in court. Most of these comments are judgments and nothing else. Judging the officer, judging me, judging the girl, whatever. Pre-judgements are what they actually are, known as prejudice, which everyone has, but everyone acts as if they don’t and if it’s inherently a bad thing. It’s simply being human and how we evaluate things around us and determine how to act in order to preserve our safety and comfort. It’s very likely the officer didn’t intend to harm anyone, especially with the friction between blacks and the police in this country right now, and just like everyone, wanted to calm the situation and get it under control before it became worse. That’s his job, that we’ve hired him to do. Whether he was trained properly or not is a managerial issue, however. He has to consider his safety and that of the other people in the room.

My mother in law was a public middle school principal in Montgomery, AL, and had to call the police on students younger than this girl daily. She saw desks being hurled through classrooms, girls filing their nails to points to better fight other girls at school, and stuff that is a grim reality. If you wait to react to something that’s already happened, then you’ve already lost. Part of people’s jobs that are put in positions of responsibility, like teachers, principals, and police, is to use their experience to determine when to nip things in the bud, intervene, and remove dangerous elements when appropriate. I think it’s safe to say this girl fit some of that criteria, her age and sex no matter. I’m not defending that policeman, because I wasn’t there and don’t know the entire background. But I’m old and wise enough to recognize a volatile situation when I see one.

I totally agree with you. I’m a teacher and I work my heart out for my (difficult) students. It doesn’t mean they are always doing the right thing, and that doesn’t mean they should never get punished for what they do. In my classroom, of course, I need to have ground rules. And they know what happens if they cross the line. I’ve never had to call the police or anything but I know my director had to on several occasions. They are kids, they don’t always know what they are doing. But at some point we have to react, because it can sometimes get out of control. People who work in that environment see it everyday. I am not saying the policeman was right to do what he did, but a few seconds video, obviously, doesn’t show the whole thing. Unfortunately they sometimes have to use force to enforce the law in some way. It’s not the first time brutality occurs, and it’s not going to be the last time. Because I’m sorry but asking nicely doesn’t always work.. So maybe he was right, maybe he was wrong. Can we let someone “impartial” decide, based on real evidence and with the full context? And as I said earlier, it is really a sad story in ANY CASE.

She wasn’t hurling a desk. You’re making up things about her Musgrove from a past experience of a story your mother in law told you that some other person did and not from any direct experience while you tell everyone else here not to judge.

Child abuse is not an opinion.

You’re defending the school systems in the south for “having” to police black children harsher years back in the day? HELLO white supremacy.

And yes, you are defending the police man over the girl. You have said, “It’s very likely the officer didn’t intend to harm anyone, especially with the friction between blacks and the police in this country right now, and just like everyone, wanted to calm the situation and get it under control before it became worse. That’s his job, that we’ve hired him to do. Whether he was trained properly or not is a managerial issue, however. He has to consider his safety and that of the other people in the room.”

That is defending the police with a hypothetical judgement on your part.

And excuse me? you’re going to minimize throwing the girl and breaking her arm as a “managerial issue” due to improper training?

Below is a link to a related article by a real GOOD teacher and not one full of excuses for why child abuse would EVER be necessary in school, and who is especially sensitive with at risk youth or foster children to prove it can be done:

There are two ways to manage situations. The inexperienced and/or lazy will allow things to simply unfold and then react and try to contain and mitigate damages, if even possible at that point. The experienced manager will recognize a situation and intervene before damage happens and the situation escalates, based on expertise and experience. You’ve identified yourself as which you prefer, and that’s fine.

There are many more ways to manage than two. Binary thinkers, have difficulty reaching a wider range of needs, so obviously you are at a truer deficit in being able to imagine and carry out or comprehend the difference between what is discipline as opposed to what is punishment and which one children and adults need/deserve and respond best to.

You have NO idea how I identify other than being against child abuse. And I don’t know what you mean by my “preferences”. Your “preferences” to allow throwing black students around, however is obvious and we can conclude that your mother-in-law assisted in bad policy that has influenced your easy and casual prejudices to continue.

All you have “managed” to put forward is that you are a pompous ass Musgrove. You are not a more serious person just because you can phrase things from a “managerial” perspective. It makes you sterile in the conversation, parroting unadaptive non-listening skills and that is both unwise and foolish to demonstrate to others.

You should stop justifying child abuse for any reason and admit that solving the problem is above your head, not mine.

The abuse here is obviously no one bothering to raise her properly so she ends up a constant behavioral problem, disruptive to everyone and everything around her, and a menace to society for the rest of her life. Police must already be called called to deal with her at this young age, in the middle of school, and then people make pathetic excuses for it to rationalize for their own shortcomings and make themselves feel compassionate and think they have helpful ideas based on realistic evidence that contradicts their unfounded beliefs, whatever they may be and from wherever they’re concocting them. The case isn’t either. This won’t be her last run-in with the law, I assure you; it’s just the beginning. Her abuse began with her parents and their poor decisions they’ve thrust upon her, and is ending with others making poor, tiresome excuses for her unacceptable actions.

I wasn’t referring to you specifically, because this has nothing to do with you, and it certainly has nothing to do with me. It has to do with something larger than us, which may be why you don’t know what I’m taking about.
No one said to give up on anyone. But the perpetuation of handling things among parents, in the public schools, and in American society, the way they’ve been handled for the past several decades is obviously leading to greater, and more apparent to some, failures like this instance. We reap what we sow, and for children, they unfortunately usually reap what is sown for them by their parents/guardians. Take a look at that link I posted regarding the public school system here in Louisville. It’s like that everywhere. So many who are actually accountable and responsible want those jobs anymore. It’s always the police’s fault, the “system’s” fault, the fault of the laws and rules, the judge’s, their manager’s or whoever has been tasked with handing down the consequences. Not the person who asked for those consequences or was ever taught what those consequences would be, until it’s too late, again as in this sad case. This whole thing would, could and should have been avoided by properly raising this child and not simultaneously neglecting responsibility and her. If you want to lament child abuse, look at the root, not the impending result. And that responsibility definitely isn’t a school’s job, as so many in the US have come to believe. But that gets into a whole ‘nother debate.

And Musgrove, we also don’t see the same goal. I don’t share where you want to stay or take us as humans. So working with you on what is and is not hope is not my problem. I know what I’m going to do and what my responsibilities are.

You can argue all you like. I’m not debating or arguing. I’m doing what I do. And I thank you for helping me clarify this.

Bad behavior?, hhmm, as a witness to bad behavior of teachers bullying kids in the 2nd. and 3rd. grade….that is where it starts, in the classroom!

Teacher are the bullies and the cycle never stops. A Teacher bullied my child and when we made a formal complaint against said teacher, teacher bullied us with an Bogus RO, that was granted. What was in the TRO, we complained about her and would not stop talking about it with the school Imbecile aka principal. Bogus RO granted! Now everyone is afraid to complain about the abusive teacher. Bad teachers need to go, tenured or not! This is real, I couldn’t make it up even if I tried!

It shouldn’t matter what was said or done before the video started recording! This is unacceptable behaviour. Fully grown bully being overly aggressive is just down right disgusting, not even mentioning the obvious moral and ethical issues. I hope he suffers the consequences!

We don’t know the whole story and may never know the whole story. As a parent who has thought her kids to respect authorities and elders, we are forgetting the age we live in, all that teaching goes out the door when these kids are among their peers.Their is not one person on this planet who is a parent that can justify that officers behavior. As a human being put your child in that chair and how would that image come across to u as a parent. I get it the child was disobedient, but so are many others. I go to my children’s classroom on a regular for PTA meetings, and some things that stand out to me are many of these teachers look like they can’t tolerate one child much less ten cause they lack patience, and at times their attitudes project in a manner where as the child feel as if they don’t like them. My point is not all children can be approached in the same manner, some may feel intimidated others may be quick to adhere. So like I said before, we don’t know the whole situation and may never know. It could’ve being a word, behavior or attitude that triggered the whole situation WE MAY NEVER KNOW. I have two daughters whom are very well mannered and if any man feels the need to man handled them in such a manner. There will be a problem, this however wasn’t any man it was a cop.

The following link is to a brilliant and beautiful art therapy project utilizing the scientific and symbolic properties of a Pearl in the healing work and catharsis for rape survivors, assault survivors, and domestic violence survivors, etc. You may scroll through to see the original artist project as well as the artworks of children and women of all ages. When you get to the pearls by children and their quotes, it hits you… how young these people are to be bearing so much trauma. It’s a (pdf with photos) that I’m placing here to inspire pro-active ways to process, come together, and heal after being harmed. The pearls do not have to be made out of expensive materials. Some of the kids used play-dough to express what had happened:

Hi Boeskool, I’m new to your blog and have been part of helping encourage a healthy discussion so we can stop child abuse. Your comment section needs to moderate frederizsche now. This is unacceptable: “How have you not eaten a bullet yet?”

Please do not allow him to abuse women here now. He’s said enough and online bullies and trolls need adult supervision.

If officers won’t use force on a man who kills 9 people in a church or a boy who shots up children in a school .. Why her? See… People are saying these thing with no intelligence at all. You saying because a person refuses to move she should be attacked but a man could shot up a church and be walked out with no physical harm bought Burger King by officers …man I tell you. Really? Come on now.

I’m standing for him. He was fired because of the lawsuit he was already dealing with before he was working for the school. He did a pregnant women the same way. Let along even if she did not leave when she was ask.. They are still to have her parents notified when the cop is asked to be in the classroom. No one is mad at for doing his job.. It comes down to how he does his job. If was any of your children who had to go through that, you would have definitely had different words towards the situation. We may not know anything but like the kids who testified for her before he apologized for his actions .. THERES WAS NEED TO ACT AS IF SHE WAS HURTING HIM IN ANY KIND OF WAY. “He could have done better at handling his job” and that came from the mouth of those who worked with and around him.

The book: Child Abuse Trauma (theory and treatment of the lasting effects) by John. N. Briere (Interpersonal Violence: the practice series) debunks myths surrounding victims of child maltreatment and builds it’s case around the strengths of the survivor. It suggests how it can be understood and treated.

It is used in public school systems by H.S. counselors and educators who work with less advantaged and more diverse student populations.

I realize the people who are in need of the “whole story” will not be readers, as they have a different agenda, but for anyone wanting to contribute to the real discussion of school policy regarding police and students, it is a good edition to the reading list.

This is an excellent read. It hits so close to home for me. I have seen first hand some of the dirt that officer’s who are supposed to be upholding justice as well as protect us take part in. I have also seen the dishonor honorable officers have received from people with a distaste for cops. I feel regardless we are called to stand up for what is right and true. Acting out of violence in ager/rage isn’t acceptable. It’s sad to see people come up with the excuses we see and hear so much. Many in my own family. I can feel the hatred radiating. Myself, coming from a school where I was the minority and finding a separate family in people who happen to have darker skin, it hurts my heart to see the hate targeted to an entire race. I am so thankful I grew up with a different perspective. Thanks for sharing

I don’t think the world has become more violent, the world has always been violent; the difference as you can see is the availability of information. We can see videos of this and are forced out of our little bubble of denial or forced to see how some people have to live with this type of brutality.

A very empathetic essay toward victims of police violence, this was, though I partly disagree with the conclusion. Since it is an impossibility for all cops to know of all people’s stories, we must rule out the finishing remark as a viable option. Additionally, it is not the fault of a few sparse cases of violence among police officers which sparked so many anti-police sentiments lately and the Black Lives Matter Movement, but rather the consistent, institutionalized racism that has permeated our nation since its birth.
In other words, I like the effort, but I think that the author should give view to the multitude of other variables that are a part of this long equation.

Usually policemen and those on positions of authority like to be obeyed without question.
Theses days we have told our children , and everyone else, to question everything. We have also made any physical punishment totally unacceptable.
These are conflicting messages soon they will spread to the forces and disobedeance will be the norm.

kaptonok, you don’t even know how to spell disobedience so, I don’t think you’re anyone to speak about how to help foster children and at risk youth in our school systems. The conflicting message IS the cop working in the school.

The book: Child Abuse Trauma (theory and treatment of the lasting effects) by John. N. Briere (Interpersonal Violence: the practice series) debunks myths surrounding victims of child maltreatment and builds it’s case around the strengths of the survivor. It suggests how it can be understood and treated.

It is used in public school systems by H.S. counselors and educators who work with less advantaged and more diverse student populations.

Im self taught and spelling is poor but I dont let it prevent me having my say on any subject.
Remember good spelling or good education does not make good character.
Recent events on child abuse show just how poor the experts have been in unearthing the abusers. Often they are charming self- assured characters. I might add some of the experts have turned out to be the abusers , so be careful not to place too much faith in government systems.

“Experts” is too general of a term by the way. And I never told anyone to place their “faith” in government “systems”.

In the USA we the people are the government. Do you know what that really means when you advise people away from their faith in it?

We the people means we are speaking about becoming active. About citizen involvement. Teaching people how to get involved in their own local politics to effect the change they need for their communities. You need to understand
what government is before you can ever change it.

Maybe you’ve seen how the students in Missouri have displayed an ability to unite and effect change at their university after the football team, faculty, and members of the community joined against systemic racism.

Censoring them (in part because the administration was afraid after Michael Brown’s murder) backfired.

Certainly the girl who was thrown by the police officer deserves our unity to prevent child abuse.

Thankyou for a gracious reply.
I expect we may have a lot in common.
I’m 74 and retired by the sea in southern England. I have four children who survived my mistakes and did moderately well. Im on the internet using an old phone given to me by my daughter who is in the fast lane. It’s good to see the average citizens all over the world waking up and having their say.

We don’t believe that all cops are bad, but we do believe that the ones that are bad should be locked away. As we get older we wonder what are we going to teach our children about cops? How do we teach our children how to differentiate between the good ones and the bad ones when they’re all “supposed” to be good ones. We touched somewhat on this matter in our blog. We invite you to come take a look https://diamondsfromthedump.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/real-monsters/

I couldn’t watch the entire video as its too disturbing, there is a fine line in disciplining and crossing the line of humanity, if such are the care takers and law keepers whom will the kids turn too? And if these are the role models of society then God help us !!

She CHOSE to disobey or ignore the teacher. She heard the teacher call administration on the classroom phone. She heard the call to the resource officer, also on the classroom phone,…. and yet, she still CHOOSES to be defiant. Even with the officer standing there, giving her a final chance to comply, she CHOSE to be out-of-line and not follow the rules. She was given every chance in the world to simply just, put her phone away…

As an administrator what are you supposed to do?….
Do you just let her go? Which sends the message to the rest of the class that they can do awhatever they want, that there aren’t any consequences?
Do you hit her with a taser?….. Well, she’s a minor so that’s dangerous….
Do you hit her with pepper spray?……. Which, inevitably compromises and contaminates the rest of the classroom, and WILL negatively impact other students who are completely innocent… So that’s out of the question too…

What happened in the video was, essentially, the only possible outcome, because she CHOSE this result. She had every single opportunity to prevent this, and chose not to….

Perhaps we look at it through opposite perspective. Perhaps we analyze why the girl has zero respect for adults and authority figures? Why is she disrespectful and disobedient? Who taught her that type of behavior was acceptable?…
I submit that her parent(s) or guardian(s) should be responsible and scrutinized for this incident. Why have they allowed this type of behavior? Clearly, considering that she defies a Cop, this is not her first time disrespecting authority figures and not following the rules… Who taught her that this was ok?

You’re acting as if this is the entirety of the situation….
As if the officer just showed up and attacked the girl…. you’re ignoring the fact that there were several factors leading up to this situation…. The teacher had to call the administration office, then call the police officer from the resource room who then came down to ask her to stop being a disruption and to come with him…at which point the video tape began….
Convenient, for people like you, that the video does not show the student being disobedient and disrespectful. Other than ignoring orders from her teacher and the cop….
She had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to prevent this. She chose this outcome, simple as that.

First, let’s establish that breaking the girl’s arm was wrong. Full stop.

She was not doing anything violent. She was merely not complying.

She was not threatening anyone.

No one was being physically harmed.

She was not harming herself.

She was simply not complying with the officer.

So whatever could have been done, it did not in any way require breaking her arm.

Second, as far as what could have been done, there are others on this thread who have advised other actions which did not require violent over-reaction by the deputy sheriff.

* The class could have been removed so the adult could have gotten down to her level to talk with her.

* The incident could have been de-escalated by letting it slide and then dealing with it outside the classroom.

* The student could have been left alone.

The only person here who escalated this out of proportion is the deputy sheriff who abused his power and authority to break a teenager’s arm for not complying with a request to leave a classroom.

I don’t know if you have kids, but suppose you did, and one of your children didn’t comply with a request from a school police officer to get out of his seat (in a classroom he’s not disturbing), and the next response is that your son’s arm is broken.

Commensurate response?

This is a situation where common sense and a mature understanding of kids/teenagers could help to de-escalate a lack of compliance with a request.

I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but the student was in fact disrupting the class by using her phone and watching a video or playing music or whichever it was…

The breaking of her arm was not the intended outcome of the interaction. He didn’t show up intending to break her arm lol…
Rather, it was a poor result of the accumulation of her poor decisions.

It’s also important to note that she is a Black teen, and disrespect for authority figures, particularly white ones, and particularly the police, is almost ingrained into their culture, the culture of rap music. This is undeniable…

Again, I don’t necessarily disagree with you. Things could have been done better. They ALWAYS could have, hindsight is 20/20….

* Leaving her alone is not an option. It sends the message to the rest of the student body that there are no consequences, that the teaching staff and administration have no real power or authority, that it’s OK to blatantly disrespect them.

* Dealing with it outside the classroom, ok, maybe. But what if she just keeps walking and ignores you? What if she just pops her headphones in and walks right through you?… You’re still going to have to physically detain her somehow…

* Removing the rest of the class disrupts the entire class…. So does tackling her and flipping her desk, but the results are clearly more immediate loo…

♤ Lastly, this is all assuming that the teacher DIDN’T try to get down and talk to her, as if the teacher wasn’t nice and initially speaking softly with her and gave her a chance to comply.♤ Also, I would be utterly shocked if this was her very first incident of disrespect or disobedience in class.

Lmao ok,……. I see….. You’re clearly just a brainwashed Trotsky Communist. Known by the modern term “radical Liberal”, afraid of dissent and differing opinions…

I’m honest. Sad as it is true, black pop-culture promotes defiant, anti authority, anti police, behavior and an overall mindset…. This doesn’t encompass all Black people, not by any stretch. Mostly just the young and impressionable…..but it is true. Listen to any rap song…. It promotes violence, drug dealing and drug use, violence towards women, sexual assault, and hate for police.

This, combined with the FACT that African Americans as a whole, as a minority group, have been manipulated and controlled by the “Progressives”, “Liberals”, “Democrats”, “The Left”, whatever you want to call them, your people, for nearly a century and a half as a political tool, by keeping them down, keeping them in poor education systems, ensuring they don’t have the same economic opportunities as everyone else, promoting the fatherless home, promoting the victim mentality, and it’s absolutely pathetic… Mostly because all the while they pretend to be the ones championing their rights, while they’re actually just keeping them subservient little voters… Disgraceful. We’re all in this together, and we’re all on the same level.

You’re the one who most likely grew up in a Lilly white neighborhood who never encountered someone of the opposite race unless you were ordering something to eat, or at The Club with your father.
I, on the other hand, grew up on the upper east side of Buffalo, NY, and I currently live in North Buffalo. Surrounded by people of different races, and it’s great! We all get along awesome… So don’t give me that “racist” bullshit because that’s all it is, bullshit.

You are just proof of what information can do in the wrong hands, diamondtip.

Anyone laughing their ass off in this comment section where a discussion about a girl being thrown by a man is a troll.

You have noted the abuse problems in hip hop and are blaming the artists for why you think she choose the outcome to be further abused.

Police look for criminals. We don’t need hem in the schools looking for the “bad” kids. That’s the wrong solution.

You are not here to hear solutions. Your questions are your openings to promote your own slander.

Buffalo NY is pretty racist. I lived all over New York. And Chicago. I spent years traveling to Alabama… and not all black people are the same.

They do not share your opinions. And you’re over simplifying hip hop. You can not speak to their use of misogyny with any real authority…

If I was the author of this blog I would cut you off and send you to the kids table until you are ready to speak with the adults. You were never hear to find out why the girl needed help. You don’t know of or want to know of any solutions.

And thought you might enjoy it! I think we should let him or her keep talking… as I had NO idea white people in Buffalo were frightened of a communist take over or convinced of a Trotsky brainwash conspiracy… I mean live and learn, live and learn. 🙂

Yes diamondtip, at first I shall be violently opposed, then I shall be ridiculed and made fun of, and then the truth shall remain self evident. No worries. I paraphrase of course, but you just might be able to glean the gist.
Fist bump on that.

And you’re completely wrong about Buffalo being racist… We’re not… At all. We all get along just fine because we’re all in the same boat here. Horribly crippling liberal economic policies, and atrocious winters… Not to mention, we’ve had a black mayor for something like 10yrs….

Yep diamondtip you are being SO racist in buffalo… here’s a west coast experience that addresses micro-aggressions… and nope it’s not Buffalo, but it applies:

and here’s a long lecture you won’t take the time to watch that would help you understand how your brain is actually not developed to empathize. (This is not an insult to your brain like how you go off on liberals, it’s just a fact of you not having strengthened your sensitivity and you might prefer not to consider others. It would mean you’d have to change. It is your privilege to deny other people’s experiences and to speak for all of Buffalo is a wee bit arrogant:

I think the further point that Stephen is also making is that the officer is a larger, supposedly trained professional. He has options. Sure the student chose her course of action and she needed to be removed and should have to face consequences of disobedience in a classroom setting. The difference is that the officer has options for how to deal with this as you pointed out. Curiously, One option you didn’t give the officer was to take a moment kneel down and try to talk to the student as if she was a real person. Maybe the problem is that people like you and this officer the first option you think about after should I just let her go? Is should I Taser her or hit her with pepper spray. Maybe if we took the time to talk to someone where there is no imminent threat of violence, then these situations wouldn’t happen. It is the same in any relationship you have no control over the other person you only have control over your own actions. The officer knew what he needed to do, but, he could have chosen to deal with a teenage girl in a different way that didn’t involve such a violent response.

Yes,……. the cop was called because nobody tried simply talking to her, smh…
I’m sure the teacher didn’t ask her nicely, calmly, and politely several times, to just put her phone away, to stop being a disruption,…… riiigghhtt.

I don’t mean literal “trial” like court precedings for criminal actions…lol, smh.
I meant why aren’t we scrutinizing her choices and behavior?

I’m not protecting the cop, clearly he was a dirt ball too. He’s been charged and lost his job, his retirement, his healthcare for him and his family, and the respect of the people…. His choices had consequences too, just like the girl’s.

The breaking of her arm was a sad outcome, and it absolutely didn’t have to happen, but all she had to do was follow the rules.

diamondtip1124 Just curious. How do you feel about Dylann Roof’s arrest? Do you think after killing nine innocent victims you should be escorted with a bulletproof vest and get treated to fast food? It just seems to me that if you think the little girls actions warranted a broken arm, then you would be the type of person that think his actions should be rewarded.

No, actually, not at all…. but thanks for your ignorance. Thanks for proving that YOU, in fact, are the troll…

My questions were completely valid..

☆What would you do?….
Obviously the fracturing of the arm was a crappy result, but again, it’s a result of her decision making. Her poor choices led to that outcome.

I’m merely asking the question why?
Why did she choose for this to happen?…. The whole situation was escalated WAY out of proportion, all stemming from the student’s lack of respect for her teacher, the rules and regulations of her school, and clearly the cops too. Why is that ok? Why is that acceptable?

You need to re-read the article and the whole comment section to find where I left links, where Tabby left links, where there is a video lecture about the massive incarceration system with Michelle Alexander speaking, and go to the author’s next post for what can be done instead of blaming the child for an adults lack of self control who resorted to using intimidation and physical force on a student who needed more sensitivity not less. I’m not going to repeat every thing for you just because you are a lazy reader and don’t do your own work or look ahead to see that we have all moved on without you.

You are not engaged in policy making, teaching, security in schools, mentoring programs, teen-peer counseling/hotlines, foster programs, social services and you are asking why at risk youth make the choices they do because you are ignorant. I have never once had to abuse a child that I taught. I did work with the children of gang members. I have worked with foster kids. I did create and direct a summer camp. I was a nanny. I have taught in public schools. I did work at a children’s museum. And the list goes on…

Child abuse is unacceptable and the adults failed this child. End of discussion.

I get beat up regularly by the students in my care. No, I do not exaggerate. I have the scars to prove it. I don’t work in a “special” school. I work with regular elementary students in a regular elementary school. Kids are amazingly violent. Having said that, I am shocked by what happened to that girl. You see, the reason I get beat up all the time is because force like that, or restraint, should be a last resort. That man needs to learn what the rest of us have. Block and move and just take the blows. Because God knows, the minute you don’t, out come the cell phones, you get fired, and the a-hole parents take you to court. Seems to me…there has to be a better way…for all of our sakes. Someone please find it before I get too much older. I worry my bones are going to become brittle, and then the little darlings are really going to do some damage.

Go to the next post by this author to find different ways of handling the situation, Katie. Read the rest of the comments and watch the videos and look at the links that Tabby left or that I did. Start there. You don’t need to call them your little darlings when you don’t mean it. You are in over your head and need help teaching. Most teachers are required to keep taking classes and learning to evolve with the times… but it’s overworked and underpaid to be sure. I hope you become more successful as a teacher and to be clear don’t blame the kids.

my whole story question is what lead to the incident in the school? was the teacher trying to get her attention and she showed disrespect? was she on her phone ignoring teachers request to put it away? truly the action of the officer is unfounded and he should not have acted as he did.

I dont care whether the girl is white or black i dont care what color the officer is. I dont care about the whole story. This is what i saw. I saw a minor get body slammed and dragged by a grown ass man. This minor did not seem dangerous, i did not see a weapon, i did not see violence on her part. I personally attended an underperforming, policed and violent highschool. Ive seen violence, ive seen students arrested. Ive also seen adult criminals in the street get better treatment than this.. there is enough content in this video to know this is wrong. I dont need to know anything else.

Unless that child had a gun in her hand, and was actively shooting up the classroom, there was no excuse for this treatment. Seeing how that wasn’t the case, well, it shouldn’t have happened. I don’t need her backstory, nor the officer’s. This is not how we treat a child, that acted up in class. If that was the case, half my class would have been thrown around, and arrested, when I was in school.

I can’t even go beyond the fact that a Police officer was called to deal with a child in school. What the hell is wrong with the teacher?! And the other authorities. Adults can’t deal with their own fears thanks to bogus gun-control laws..and are pre-empting children to toe their line. Its a child for godsakes, having a difficult day..not a dog being trained to listen to authority.
Having said that, great article to bring out this debate.

Reblogged this on therichardbraxton and commented:
Even when a child “deserves” to be body slammed no child ever deserves to be body slammed. Who cares what the rest of the story is; police brutality needs to be stopped.

Kids are out of control these days. But that does not mean that a 40 year old man , may he be from the police or his/her dad even , can drag her around and slam her and get on top of her. It’s just wrong. There are more civilised ways to deal with minors , proper training is given to Handle them. I’m certain in every professional line , we are taught ethics and told us our limitations. Even a felon has rights. You being a law enforcing officer , cannot treat people , even if he’s suspicious , like shit

No matter what I was brought up never to lay a hand on a woman’ I know he had a job to do and I respect that’ but come on his life wasn’t in danger ? she wasn’t bigger than him that he had to use such force. if you saw your child being throw around like that any father or mother would flip’ I’d like to see him try that on some drug dealer’ or pimp. No matter what this person was a child. No excuses

People don’t hate Americans in general. However the nr. 1 attitude is annoying and sometimes just rude and insulting.
The following link will show you the opposite, something Americans don’t know, or just ignore.
This is in Province Limburg, the province I live in.

The entire concept of things like “micro-aggressions” and Currently Active Systemic Racism, are completely bogus…. They’re qSocialist, Marxist, Communist Constructs to make THEMSELVES into the victim… Which justifies their disgusting behavior, regardless if it’s rioting or shouting down a private speaker…